Current Affairs Committee

The Current Affairs Committee is responsible for exploring the role of local and regional authorities with regard to the major challenges of our society and preparing work on thematic issues such as social cohesion, education, intercultural and interreligious dialogue, youth participation, integration of migrants, protection of children, and gender equality from the point of view of the Council of Europe’s core values. Recently, new challenges have surfaced to which the Congress - in particular through its Current Affairs Committee - reacted, elaborating coherent and credible policies for preventing radicalisation, for the management of migration and the improvement of integration policies.
In the framework of its mandate, the Current Affairs Committee prepares reports, including a resolution and/or recommendation presented for adoption during the Congress sessions. It organises debates on current affairs, urgent situations and crises affecting local and regional authorities of the Council of Europe member states, with a view to recommending concrete responses.
It may also propose activities to the Bureau for advancing local and regional democracy, in accordance with the priorities set by the Congress, and organise conferences, hearings and other events on matters within its specific terms of reference and which are linked to its work programme. Furthermore, it prepares the Congress contribution to other Council of Europe activities that come within its competence.
In addition, the Committee follows the activities of and maintains working relations with the relevant Council of Europe bodies, in particular the subsidiary bodies of the Committee of Ministers and the Parliamentary Assembly, according to the issues that it treats.

“We have to revitalise democracy and strengthen mutual trust between young people and democratic institutions” says Thomas Andersson at Youth Action Week.
On Friday 1 July, Thomas Andersson (Sweden, ILDG), Chair of the Current Affairs Committee, participated in the closing plenary of the Youth Action Week. Addressing the 400 young participants, Mr Andersson stressed the crucial role of local and regional elected officials in ensuring the...
BePART and get inspired! Launching of a new platform to share experiences of civil participation
The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, the Conference of International NGOs and the Council of Europe’s Division of Elections and Participatory Democracy, have developed an online platform to promote civil participation. The BePART forum provides a space where local and regional...
Women and children refugees - Congress delegation collects experiences from Polish cities
A delegation of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe carried out a visit to Poland on 4 and 5 July 2022 to collect experiences of Polish cities in taking care of Ukrainian refugees. The delegation met with a wide range of stakeholders and visited temporary...

Meeting of the Current Affairs Committee

Thomas Andersson
Chair of the Current Affairs Committee
Sweden, ILDG
Councillor, Region of Jämtland Härjedalen

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Inge HANNON
Secretary a.i.
E-mail
Tel: +33 3 88 41 28 19